Zenit news agency reported that, just before Pope Francis' visit to Trieste, Northern Italy, on July 7, 2024, Italian police received information that a man had left a suitcase at a train station bar containing a semi-automatic pistol of Czech origin, a 14-round magazine and new clothes made in Turkey.
Despite the threats, the Pope still decided to go to Trieste to attend the 50th Catholic Social Week as originally planned. Here, he also toured the city in an electric convertible and celebrated an outdoor Mass in the city's main square.
In his speech at the Congress, the Holy Father stressed: “Indifference is the cancer of democracy” and “viewed the crisis of democracy as a wounded heart.”
According to him: “Every time someone is marginalized, the whole of society is wounded. The throwaway culture creates a city that has no place for the poor, the unborn, the weak, the sick, children, women, young people, the elderly. This is the throwaway culture. Power becomes self-referential – this is a dangerous disease – incapable of listening and serving people.”
From there, he called on the faithful to actively participate in the healing of democracy through creative engagement. Catholics must have the courage to propose proposals for justice and peace,” not to defend their privileges, but to “become a voice in a society where so many people have no voice.”
The incident of the gun left at the train station bar is still under investigation by the Italian police.
See details: Here
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On Sunday morning, July 7, 2024, Pope Francis interrupted his summer vacation and flew to the port city of Trieste, in northeastern Italy, 700 kilometers from Rome, to conclude the 50th Social Week of the Italian Catholic Church, meeting migrants, refugees, people with disabilities, and celebrating Mass for the faithful.
This week, like a congress, has been taking place since the afternoon of July 3, on the theme: “At the heart of democracy – participation between history and the future”, with the participation of 1,200 delegates from 200 dioceses, movements and associations in Italy. In addition, there are also a series of social and cultural activities. In addition to the main presentations on topics related to democracy, there will be a series of discussions, including cultural events in the evening.
The social week was opened on Wednesday afternoon, 3 July, by the President of the Italian Bishops' Conference, Sergio Mattarella, and Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna, President of the Italian Bishops' Conference. On this occasion, the Cardinal stated: "Italian Catholics want to be protagonists in the construction of an inclusive democracy, in which no one is excluded or left behind".
Leaving the Vatican early in the morning, the Holy Father arrived by helicopter in Trieste at 8am and went to the Conference Center to deliver his final speech to the delegates.
The Holy Father stressed that indifference is a cancer of democracy and, in turn, he called for participation, an action that must be trained in a spirit of solidarity and subsidiarity, because fraternity renews relationships. In this regard, the Holy Father also expressed concern for the situation of many people who do not participate in elections. It is necessary to create conditions for everyone to be able to express themselves and participate.
After his speech at the end of the conference, while everyone was moving to the place of the Mass, the Holy Father met with about 150 people, including migrants and people with disabilities.
Mass
After 10 o'clock, the Holy Father presided over the Mass in the Unity Square, in the center of Trieste, in the presence of more than 10,000 faithful, including a delegation of faithful from two neighboring countries, Austria and the neighboring Republic of Slovenia.
Concelebrating with the Holy Father at the Mass were about 100 bishops and 260 priests. In addition, present at the Mass were bishops and priests of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Greek Orthodox Church and Lutheran pastors.
Homily
In his homily, the Holy Father invited the faithful to live a true and dynamic faith, expressed in daily charitable commitments. He said: “We need a faith rooted in God made man, and therefore a human faith, a faith of flesh and blood, that enters into history, loves the lives of people, heals broken hearts, becomes the leaven of hope and the seed of a new world. It is a faith that awakens consciences from their drowsiness, puts its finger on the wounds of society, raises questions about the future of humanity and history; It is a restless faith that helps us overcome mediocrity and laziness of soul, becoming a thorn in the flesh of a liberal society.
often anesthetized and dazed by consumerism. In particular, it is a faith that eliminates all selfish human calculations, denounces evil, fights injustice, upsets the schemes of the powerful, and plays on the fate of the weak.”
The Holy Father recalled a poet from this city who, every time he returned home at night, often passed through a somewhat dark street, a place of depravity, where people and goods in the port were the refuse of humanity, but the poet wrote: “It is here, as I pass, that I rediscover the infinity of humility,” because the prostitute and the sailor, the quarreling woman, and the soldier…, “all are creatures of life and suffering. God acts in it, as in me” (U. Saba, Città vecchia, in “Il canzoniere” (1900-1954), Ed. definitiva, Torino, Einaudi, 1961).
The Holy Father affirmed: “Let us not forget this: God is hidden in the dark corners of our lives and in our cities; his presence is revealed precisely in faces marked by suffering and where degradation seems to triumph. God’s infinity is hidden in human misery. God acts and reveals his friendly presence precisely in the wounded flesh of the least, the forgotten and the marginalized. And we, sometimes, are blinded by so many trivial things, but it would be better to ask ourselves: why, faced with the spread of evil, with the humiliation of life, with the problems of work, with the suffering of migrants, do we not feel outraged? Why are we indifferent and indifferent to the injustices of the world? Why are we not concerned about the situation of prisoners, which also rises from this city of Trieste like a cry of anxiety?
And the Holy Father said: “We too are called to be prophets and witnesses of the Kingdom of God, in every situation in which we live, in every place where we live”.
“From this city of Trieste, looking out towards Europe, the crossroads of peoples and cultures, the land of borders, let us nurture the dream of a new civilization, built on peace and fraternity; Let us not be scandalized by Jesus, but let us be indignant at all those situations in which lives are tortured, wounded and killed, with choices made before words. And I would like to say to the Diocese of Trieste: go forward, continue your pioneering commitment to proclaim the Gospel of hope, especially to those who come here from the Balkan route and to all those who need encouragement and consolation in body and spirit. Let us commit ourselves together: because by rediscovering that we are loved by the Father, we can all live together as brothers and sisters”.
Angelus
At the end of the Mass, before praying the Angelus, the Holy Father thanked the local bishop for having prepared his visit here and all those who collaborated with him, especially in the liturgy and other services.
The Holy Father also noted that “Trieste is one of those cities that has a vocation to encounter different people, especially because it is a port, an important port, because it is a crossroads between Italy, Central Europe and the Balkans. In these situations, the challenge for the ecclesial and civil community is to combine openness with stability, welcome and identity. And I say that you are well equipped to face this challenge. As Christians, we have the Gospel, which gives meaning and hope to our lives; and as citizens, we have the constitution, which is a reliable guide to progress on the path of democracy”.
Finally, the Holy Father did not forget to invite prayers for peace: for the wounded Ukraine, Palestine and Israel, Sudan, Myanmar and many other peoples suffering from war. Let us invoke the intercession of the Virgin venerated on Mount Grisa, as Mother and Queen.
After the Mass, after 12 noon, the Holy Father took a helicopter back to the Vatican, around 14:00, concluding his visit to the port city of Trieste.
According to the Asia Truth Radio news agency